Chapter 95: Hunting Game

"Aside from that news, what was the other one?"

Seeing An Ze staring at his head in confusion, Yan Jing stopped the Cocktail Shaker in his hands and hastily changed the subject.

"Ah, the other news—"

Sure enough, An Ze's attention was instantly diverted.

Looking over at Old Master Liu and Chen Nian playing Pai Gow, he suddenly shivered.

"It's about the boss."

"Did something happen to Officer Lu?"

Yan Jing strained the ice from the Cocktail Shaker and slowly poured the liquor into a glass.

"The boss is furious right now!"

An Ze's expression was dead serious.

"Why is she angry?"

Old Master Liu asked casually.

He had won again this round. Chen Nian had quit, wanting to switch to poker instead.

"She's looking for someone, but that person disappeared."

Yan Jing's heart skipped a beat at those words.

No way...

"Who is she looking for?"

Old Master Liu dealt the cards. The two were playing the simplest game of high-card.

"A human."

An Ze said.

"Why is she looking for him?"

In the first round, Old Master Liu drew a King, and Chen Nian drew a 10.

"I don't know, but she's definitely searching."

An Ze replied.

"How can you tell she's angry?"

In the second round, Old Master Liu drew a 10, and Chen Nian a 7.

"Because when she went out today and saw the humans following other people, she frowned a total of five times!"

An Ze described it in detail, his expression exaggerated.

"Then she went back to her room to read. While reading, she frowned another five times and scoffed a full three times!"

"That's it?"

Old Master Liu gathered the cards, as Chen Nian didn't want to play anymore.

In the third round, he had drawn a 7, and Chen Nian a 4.

Anyone could tell the old man possessed some sleight of hand.

"Is that not enough?!"

An Ze covered his face with his hands, a terrified look leaking through his fingers.

"I've never seen the boss frown so many times in a single day. The last time she frowned a full four times, she was dealing with a case."

"And then the killer was chopped into six pieces!"

For some inexplicable reason, Yan Jing shuddered.

He placed an olive into the glass and asked, "Did Officer Lu go on a mission and not get enough rest last night?"

An Ze nodded heavily.

"You hit the nail on the head!"

"Let me tell you, the boss was exhausted yesterday!"

"That Meng Shuangsheng guy she fought had an incredible Pocket Watch that could pull people into dreams."

"If it were the boss's usual style, she would have closed the distance right away, delivered a flurry of hand chops to prevent him from using his item, and followed up with an Eye Blade..."

"Forget about using the Pocket Watch—the opponent would have struggled to even channel their weird energy."

"But yesterday was super weird!"

"From start to finish, the boss only used a Sequence she hadn't fully mastered to control shadows and fight Meng Shuangsheng. Even though that method conceals her tracks and prevents injuries, it's not her style at all!"

"In the end, the boss almost ran out of weird energy before finally taking Meng Shuangsheng down, and even then, it was only because he voluntarily stopped fighting."

Crap.

Yan Jing thought he knew why Lu Miao was angry.

Last night, after Meng Shuangsheng and Yu Mo were both captured, the tower's crisis was resolved. The Inner World System had terminated the bodyguard task early, changing it to a different task.

Because of that, he never went back to greet her.

Mainly because yesterday afternoon, when Dandelion Manor pushed out that scapegoat, the two of them had already feigned ending their bodyguard relationship.

Yan Jing had figured that, given Lu Miao's indifferent personality, she wouldn't take it to heart.

But contrary to his expectations, the woman had not only taken it to heart but had even spent the entire night playing the role of a ranged mage instead of a melee fighter, all just to ensure his task rating.

One could only imagine how furious she was.

All that time spent grinding Favorability had gone down the drain.

Yan Jing sighed and walked over to An Ze with the glass in hand.

He had spent all morning thinking about the newly changed task and how to use his Cameraman identity to get a look at the faces of the people from Dandelion Manor.

He never expected such sudden bad news.

"Your drink, Mr. An Ze."

The ability of that person from the desire pathway was too potent. After Rose woke up, she couldn't even speak. She could only gesture pitifully with her hands, her mind still muddled. Thus, he had to temporarily fill in as the bartender.

An Ze nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Yi Ji. You don't look very happy."

"Yeah, there are some things troubling me."

Yan Jing replied.

"Don't fret, Mr. Yi Ji. Word is there are performances to watch this afternoon and evening."

An Ze shared a piece of good news.

Yan Jing nodded, doing his best to force a smile.

"I heard."

That was exactly what was troubling him. Returning to the liquor cabinet, he let out a long sigh.

[Task 2: Become a qualified bodyguard, waiter!]

[The task has now been changed. Since the bombing incident has been properly handled, the VIPs in the tower no longer require humans as bodyguards. You lucky ones can enjoy your remaining day or so of vacation. However, while enjoying your vacation, please be careful of two things. First is eating. Even on vacation, please mind the occasion and maintain your eating habits. Once you fall into hunger, you will quickly lose your protection. The second is your own kind.

The grand melee in the lobby last time received unanimous praise from the tower's guests. Some Players have already reached agreements with the VIPs and are preparing to conduct a Hunting Game within the tower. As hunters, they will receive a reward for every Player they kill. Of course, a hunter could also become prey. PS: This is an extra task and will not affect the final rating. Players with outstanding performance will receive extra rewards.] Yan Jing stared at the task prompt, sighing faintly.

Who was the hunter? Who was the prey? Who to kill, and who to spare? These were all problems.

Once the lunch break ended, the few people from Rotten Vegetable Village went to work. Yan Jing closed up shop early and led One-Eye and the temporarily mute Rose downstairs.

"Ah—ah—ah—"

Rose started making hand signs.

Yan Jing looked at One-Eye.

"She's asking where we're going,"

One-Eye translated.

Yan Jing's mouth twitched.

"Didn't they say there was a performance? Let's go check out the contestants."

The three of them arrived at the first-floor lobby.

It was already packed with a sea of people.

Yan Jing scanned the surroundings but didn't spot any of the white-robed figures from Dandelion Manor.

Ever since Yu Mu was severely injured and Yu Mo was captured, the residents of Dandelion Manor had completely isolated themselves. No one had seen them step out of their rooms.

Even for meals, they just sent one person out to buy everything in bulk, purchasing two days' worth of food at once.

The banquet would begin the day after tomorrow, so that was just enough to last until then.

Yan Jing withdrew his gaze. Under these circumstances, he probably wouldn't be able to verify whether that lingering stare came from someone in Dandelion Manor until that day.

"Ah—ah—ah—"

Rose flailed her arms, tugging at Yan Jing's clothes to point toward an open space across the room. There stood a massive mirror.

Standing beside the mirror was a white-bearded old man.

"That's the elder of our faction."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd.

It was the man with the staring eyes.

Standing next to him, naturally, was the kind-faced man.

"That mirror is his most prized possession. One of the higher-ups of the Sun-Swallowing Tower asked him to use it to broadcast."

The man with the staring eyes explained, a faint hint of pride in his tone.

After he finished speaking, Yan Jing and the others watched the white-bearded old man mutter something to the mirror before declaring loudly, "Mirror, mirror, tell me, who among the human Players in the Sun-Swallowing Tower is over 1.8 meters tall and has the biggest build?"

As soon as his voice dropped, the mirror rippled like water, revealing a simple, honest face with tightly shut eyes.

It was none other than Chen Dalang, lying unconscious in a bed.

The old man froze for a moment. Then he scratched his head and addressed the mirror again:

"Then who among the human Players in the Sun-Swallowing Tower is over 1.8 meters tall, has the biggest build, the solidest muscles, and is accompanied by a female human Player?"

At his words, the mirror rippled again.

As the ripples settled, this time the mirror revealed the figure of Mo Nagu. Standing beside him was Mu Wan, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Both of them wore solemn expressions and tight black combat suits, with various pieces of equipment holstered at their waists and strapped to their legs.

"That's the one!"

The old man said gleefully.

Wait, is that right?

Yan Jing's crimson eyes widened.